Get To Know The CEOs: How Sisters Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts Built A Christmas Empire

Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts are constantly thinking about Christmas.

Sure, end-of-year sales are top of mind as two entrepreneurs in the consumer product space. But the holiday means even more for the twins and now co-CEOs…because it is literally their job to deliver Christmas magic to millions of families each year.

From their home base in Atlanta, Bell and Pitts run The Lumistella Company and its popular Elf on the Shelf brand. What started as a fun family tradition has grown into a “Christmas IP juggernaut” and a business with 120 full-time employees. Now, the twins work year round to build up an enterprise that is “as synonymous with Christmas as Santa Claus.”

FROM FAMILY TRADITION TO INTERNATIONAL BRAND

Going into business together in the consumer product or entertainment space was far from the original plan, Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts told Hypepotumas. Pitts had built up a successful career as a QVC host and Bell was working as a middle school teacher. But well into adulthood, the two shared fond memories of a toy elf appearing around the holidays each year at their childhood home in Powder Springs, Georgia.

“When we were small, we had an elf of our own. The elf would “fly” back and forth to the North Pole and give Santa an update on us every night between Thanksgiving and Christmas. And then every morning, we would wake up we race out of bed to go find [the elf],” Pitts told Hypepotamus, who would magically land in a different part of the house.

The elf served as the sisters’ “direct liaison with Santa Claus” and became a beloved part of each Christmas season.

Bell and her mother started writing a book based on their magical elf tradition. But the concept ran into a constant stream of rejections when they tried to find a traditional publisher. But Pitts, with her wealth of brand knowledge from QVS, saw an opportunity to build an entire business around the concept and create products that could be cherished by families. The two officially launched the Elf on the Shelf in 2005.

BUILDING LUMISTELLA

Originally, the company only sold the Elf on the Shelf box set, which included a toy elf and a book about how the elf’s magic works in each house. To get the word out, the twins spent much of their early days going around to holiday trade shows across the Metro Atlanta area.

But the Elf business wouldn’t be confined to Atlanta for long. Pitts said selling a box set to someone who was not a family member or a friend was a “huge moment” towards recognizing that they had a hit brand. Then actress Jennifer Garner was randomly photographed by paparazzi carrying an Elf on the Shelf box. Soon they landed an iconic Elf balloon on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade route and started selling out of products.

Over the years, Pitts and Bell have grown an IP empire, landing entertainment partnership deals with CBS and Netflix to bring the Elf on the Shelf universe to television screens. In 2024, The Lumistella Company is rolling out Santaverse™, with branded games and new characters that make up an entire new North Pole world.

A NEW KIND OF TOY SHOP

For Bell and Pitts, Christmas joy and magic isn’t just reserved for December 25. The two have worked to build a business where people want to work year round. The team comes together in the Atlanta office one week each month and works remotely the other three weeks. This has been a strong retention tactic, Bell added. The Lumistella Company has also been able to attract talent that previously worked at toy and game giants like Hasbro and Mattel.

The State of Georgia has been particularly helpful in ensuring that The Lumistella Company can pull off its holiday magic. With the Georgia Entertainment Tax Credit, the company has been able to bring animation and production work in house, making it easier to build out content for its various holiday brands.

Throughout the year, the team is gearing up to ensure they can deliver Christmas magic without any glitches.

“Just like Santa Claus has to work 365 days a year to pull off Christmas Day, so do we,” Bell added. “We are the voice of Santa Claus and the North Pole for millions and millions of families. They call, they write, they interact with us on social. It takes an incredible amount of planning.”